With certain spinal conditions it is desirable or medically necessary to undergo surgery in order to correct and/or treat such conditions. For example, patients suffering from an idiopathic spinal deformity, degenerative spinal deformity, or certain spinal traumas may require surgery in order to obtain a desired quality of life.
One such surgery is referred to as a spinal fusion, wherein two or more vertebrae are joined. In some cases, spinal fusion surgery may be augmented by a process called fixation, wherein a plurality of pedicle screws may be attached to the vertebrae bilaterally along either side of the vertebrae. A surgical rod may be attached to the pedicle screws along either side of the vertebrae in order to stabilize the vertebrae and facilitate the fusion.
However, due to the contours of the vertebrae, each rod must be modified such that a shape of the rod corresponds to the positioning of the pedicle screws. Generally, in order to modify the shape of a rod, a surgeon or other professional will manually bend the rods in an iterative “trial and error” process. However, such a process, can be complicated, inaccurate, and overly time-consuming Notably, complications can arise with an increase in operative time. Additionally, as each rod undergoes iterative manual manipulations, certain material properties of the rods, e.g., strength, may be detrimentally affected. Further, inaccurately shaped rods may place additional or unnecessary stress on the pedicle screws, as well as the vertebrae, which may lead to, e.g., premature loosening of such pedicle screws.
Accordingly, a system for more quickly and accurately bending a surgical rod would be useful. Moreover, a method for quickly and accurately bending a surgical rod would be particularly beneficial.